All Things Considered

Commonly referred to as "ATC" and a staple for afternoon commutes, NPR's nationally syndicated afternoon news magazine brings you closer to home with the presence of WAMU's local host.

Since May 3, 1971 All Things Considered has been produced every day from NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Featuring a mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features, "ATC" produces 2 hours of fresh content every day for hundreds of public radio stations around the United States.

Elliott Francis

Local Host, All Things Considered

Francis has worked alongside some of the most influential media executives in the U.S. during his 25 years as a news anchor, including FOX News President and Chairman Roger Ailes, former CNN Executive Vice President Ed Turner, and the founder and former CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, John H. Johnson. In 2002, shortly after joining the ABC news affiliate in Washington DC (WJLA-TV) as the morning co-anchor, Francis was thrust into the rigors of live, non-stop coverage of the DC sniper shootings and investigation, sometimes speaking 8-9 hours unscripted. A skilled interviewer, Francis once convinced singer John Denver to go "on-camera" with details of his upcoming DUI trial.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

This week, a federal judge upheld the government's right to search, without a warrant or "reasonable suspicion," a traveler's electronic devices at U.S. borders. The case had revolved around an American whose laptop was searched as he entered the U.S. from Canada. The federal government says such searches are rare, and, when they occur, help to protect the country. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with Susan Stellin, a contributor to The New York Times, about the ruling and what rights people have at U.S. borders.

The book, written in the 1970s, was made into a miniseries and never saw the light of day — until now. Actually, everything about The Spoils of Babylon is pure fiction. It's a parody of the big, bloated miniseries of the 1970s and '80s, complete with forbidden love between a sister and her adopted brother.

From 1943 to 1944, the Women Airforce Service Pilots flew more than 60 million miles across the United States chartering soldiers, test-flying planes and conducting training exercises during World War II. The 1,102 female pilots were honored at the Rose Parade on Wednesday, with eight veteran pilots taking a ride atop their float.

Proposition 65 requires businesses to post public announcements about toxic chemicals in in their products. The law has been on the books for more than 20 years, and though it protects consumers, some say lawsuits over compliance disproportionately affect small businesses.

Two years ago, strange sets of bewildering puzzles appeared on the Internet, with a message encouraging "highly intelligent individuals" to try to break the code. The code led to more clues spanning a global Internet mystery, that has yet to be solved.

Researchers in Germany and the Czech Republic have found that dogs strongly prefer to relieve themselves facing either North or South, rather than East or West. Their research suggests it's all part of the Earth's magnetic fields.

The Everly Brothers influenced an entire generation of popular musicians. Don's voice usually handled the melody, but Phil gave the higher accompanying harmony to that melody, which defined the brothers' sound. Phil Everly died Friday from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 74.

On Monday, the BCS National Championship featuring Florida State and Auburn University will mark the end of the confusing and controversial Bowl Championship Series. Dennis Dodd from CBS Sports speaks with NPR's Arun Rath about what this means for the future of NCAA football.

Carlos Watson, co-founder of the online magazine Ozy, talks with host Arun Rath about what he's most excited about in 2014: Japan's burgeoning role on the world stage, the rise of actor Idris Elba and Tesla's electric cars.

The U.S. has one of the world's best collections of Chinese paintings, but only four master conservators who know how to take care of them — and they're all approaching retirement. At the Freer and Sackler Galleries in D.C., Xiangmei Gu is passing her skills on to a new generation.

Emergency unemployment insurance expired Dec. 28 for an estimated 1.3 million Americans. That includes more than 220,000 Californians. They responded with everything from returning Christmas presents for cash to packing up and leaving the state. Congress could still renew these emergency benefits, as they have multiple times since 2008.

Friday, January 3, 2014

One-third of adults worldwide are overweight. Globalization has made high-calorie foods readily available at low cost almost everywhere. In 1980, less than 40 percent of Mexican women were overweight. By 2008, almost 70 percent were.

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